1. Field of the Inventive Concepts
The inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein relate to cleaning compositions and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to non-toxic, liquid cleaning compositions having environmental benefits and exhibiting effective cleaning performance.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
Efficient cleaning performance and “green” manufacturing methods are two major concerns of consumers in choosing a cleaning composition. Not all kinds of soils can be efficiently removed using conventional detergents and cleaning compositions. The need to remove oily stains using a water-based detergent has led to use of cleaning additives and soil-suspending polymers that are not completely biodegradable. Surfactants, builders, bleaches and polymers used in detergent compositions often present environmental concerns. For example, some surfactants and bleach activators are known not to be completely biodegradable, and builders such as phosphate builders are known to cause eutrophication (hypertrophication) of rivers and lakes.
These conventional detergent components have been added to the detergent compositions for many years. Despite the significant research done in this area, there remains a need for improvements in the cleaning efficiency of cleaning compositions. Additionally, with the presently increasing environmental awareness and concerns, and with the public desire to use “green” products, there is a need for efficient, natural and environmentally friendly cleaning compositions.